Bottle



{NoModem T. Bf BOOTH. BOTTLE FILLING MACHINE.

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Patented Aug. l1, 18916.

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T. yB. BOOTH.` BOTTLE FILLING MACHINE,

No. 555,598. vPatemfed A\Ig11, 1895,

l Uli-irren STATES PATENT ff Orrick.

THOMAS B. BOOTH, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOALEXANDER ROBINSON, OF SAME PLACE.

, :SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 565,598, datedAugust 11 1896. Application `tiled January 2l, 1896. Serial No. 576,339.(N0 model.)

To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS B. BOOTH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottle-FillingMechanism and Apparatus; and I do declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention has relation to bottle-filling mechanism and apparatus; andthe purpose or object is to provide an apparatus for effecting the object which will fill the bottle or bottlesunder pressure and cork themwhile the pressure is in force, 4thus preserving all the gases theliquid contains and keeping the liquids from atmospheric exposure andcontact during the wholeoperation.

I accomplish the objects of my invention by the means and appliancesillustrated in theaccompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a frontelevation ot' the complete apparatus and associated mechanism. Fig. 2 isa side view in elevation. Fig. 3 is a central vertical section throughone of the bottling-heads, showing the corking-channel, the liquid andgas ports or conduits, and the corking-plunger. Fig. 4 is a detailillustration of the lever mechanism and corking-plunger. Fig. 5 is afront View, in elevation, of the same.

i It will be premised that my invention is illustrated as appliedto aduplicate bottling mechanism; but it is apparent that it is equallyapplicable to mechanism for filling a single bottle at a time.

Referring to the drawings, A designates a suitable stand or support ofany desirable shape and of such height and dimensions as to adapt it forthe purposes intended. Secured to top of the support A is a strong metalcasting or frame having a rectangular lower portion 1, which issupported and to which is secured the bottle holding and adjustingmechanism, and having intermediate of its length lateral extensions 22X, which support the lilling-heads, and also having at the top lateralextensions 3 3X, which support the corking mechanism, all of which arespecifically described hereinafter.

The filling-heads O C are duplicates in construction, the two being usedonly to increase `the capacity of the machine. They are made of anysuitable material and are provided with averticall y-arran ged cork way4, slightly tapering from top to bottom and opening into a flaring seatorsocket 5, adapted to take on the head of a bottle, substantially asshown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. In the filling-heads are formedconduits .6 7, the former of which conveys the liquid to the bottle, andthe latter conveys the gas or air and also serves to permit the escapeof the overflow which may occur when the cork is forced down in thebottle. The ports, ways, or conduits 6 7 are preferably inclinedindirection, as shown, and open at their lower ends into the corkwayadjacent to its lower end, so that the cork in its preliminarydisposition in the way may set well down toward the lowerend andadjacent to the point of entrance to the bottle.

D designates a tank, barrel, or cask containing the liquid to be drawntherefrom and bottled. A suitable pipe connection is made with thisvessel, as 9, provided with a turning plug or cut-off 10, and this pipeis carried to the bottle-heads by means of branches 11 l1X and theirends closely fitted, secured, and seated in the liquid-conduits of thefillingheads, substantially as shown in the drawings, each pipe beingprovided with a stopcock 12 to admit and shut off the flow of theliquid.

E designates the pressure-tank, for air or gas, of any suitable size andcontour. From the upper end of this pressure-tank runs a pipe 13, havinga suitable pressure-regulator 14, arranged therein, which constitutesthe high-pressure regulator to central and regulate the pressure on theliquid in the cask, theeffcct being produced through the pipe openinginto the bung of the cask, substantially as indicated in the drawings.In the pipe. 13 is iiXed a pressure-gage 15,'which serves "to indicatethe status-of pressure, as usual. i

On a bracket 16, secured Vto the frame, is

seated and secured a glass cylinder F, constituting a tank or reservoir,into which the air or gas from the compression-tanknds its way through abranch pipe 17, led from the main pipe 9 and opening into the cylinderF, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. In the pipe 17 is interposed thelow-pressure regulator 18, to regulate the pressure of the gas or airflowing into the cylinder F. On the cylinderF is mounted a low-pressuregage 19, and suitably mounted on the cylinder is a safety-valve 20, ofany suitable construction. I have shown it as consisting of a lever21,with an adjustable weight 22 thereon, and a valve on the leversetting in a valve-seat opening into the cylinder.

In the bottom of the cylinder is secured a pipe 23, branching inopposite directions, as at 24 24X, the ends of the branches opening intothe filling-heads, and being provided adjacent to their points ofentrance into the filling-heads with turning-plugs 25, by which the fiowof air or other substance maybe cut off. The glass cylinder F not onlyserves as a sight-glass to observe the extent of the contents, but italso serves as a receptacle to receive the overflow of liquid and gasfrom which may be thrown or forced back when the corks are forced downinto the bottleneck. It will be perceived from the foregoing descriptionthat the liquid-pressure and the air-pressure in the cylinder are not inequilibrium, the former being heavier than the latter, the purpose beingto insure the escape of the excess of liquid and air from the neck ofthe bottle when the cork is forced home into the glass cylinder, and tobe returned to a bottle when placed under the filling-heads and thebranch pipes are opened before the liquid-pipes are opened for thepurpose of filling the bottles.

G G designate the brackets, on which the bottles are placed preparatoryto being lifted upward and their heads forced into the seats in thelling -heads These brackets are duplicates in construction and means foroperating them, and consist of the followingdescribed mechanism: On theframe are arranged and secured two vertical parallel bars 26 26X, havinga fianged way 27 between them, in which is slidingly disposed a rack-bar2S, having formed or secured to its upper end a seat 29, adapted to holda bottle, as indicated. Journalcd in suitable bearings 30 30X, fixed tothe face of the frame, is a shaft 31, carrying a gear-wheel 32, meshingwith the rackbar, and on the bearing 30 is secured a sector-rack 33,which is engaged by a pawl 34 on a lever 35, having its lower endmounted on the shaft 31, as shown in the drawings.

It will be observed from the foregoing, taken in connection with thedrawings, that the rackbar with the bottle-seat may be raised andlowered by moving the lever to turn the gearwheel, and thus when abottle is placed on the bottle-seat by moving the rack upward the headof the bottle will become seated in the filling-head directly under thecorkway therein in position to receive the charge and to have the corkinserted.

The corking mechanisms are also duplicates in construction, and consistof the followingdescribed parts or elements: To each of the lateralextensions 3 3 is fixed an arm 36, arranged at right angles to the faceof the extensions and formed with a sleeve 37 at the outer end, in whichis slidingly arranged the stem 28 of the cork-plunger 39, formed at itslower portion with a tapering plug 40, which fits in the corkway in thefilling-head. To the top of the frame or extensions is a lug 41, inwhich is fulcrumed a hand-lever 42, carrying a link or bar 43, havingits upper end piv- Aot-ally hung to the lever and its lower endsimilarly connected to the stem of the plunger, substantially as shownin the drawings. By moving the lever 42 down on a cork .in the corkwayin the filling-head the cork is pushed in the head of the bottle.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The air or gas is turned onfrom the pressuretank by turning the two pressure-regulators to therequired pressure, which varies according to the kind of fluids to bebottled, ranging from ten to one hundred pounds on the high-pressureregulator and from five to seventy-five pounds on the low-pressureregulator. The bottles are then placed on the bottlc-seats and forced upwith their heads tight into the seats in the lling-heads by means of themechanism provided for that purpose. The corks are then placed tight inthe corkways of the filling-heads, the cocks in the branch pipes leadingfrom the sight-glass cylinder, and then opened to permit the air or gasto flow into the bottles, which operation is continued until the bottlesare under the same pressure as that originally shown in thesight-cylinder, when the cocks in the liquidpipes are turned on and theliquid permitted to flow into the bottles until they are full, when theliquid-cocks are closed and the corks driven down by the corkingmechanism, any overfiow passing up through the branch pipes to the glasscylinder and returning to the next set of bottles. By this mode ofprocedure the liquid, be it wine, water, ale, or beer, is sure to beuniform and retain all its original gas, and is bettered by not comingin contact with the external atmosphere.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

In a bottle-filling machine, the combination with the filling-head, of acorking and bottleholding mechanism, comprising a vertical standard,having an arm 36 projecting therefrom formed with a sleeve 37, acork-plunger IOO IIO

39, having its stem 3S slidingly arranged in the said sleeve and formedwith a tapering corking-plug 40, a hand-lever 42 fulcrumed to thevertical post 1, and a link 43 having its respective ends pivotallyconnected to the said lever and to the stem of the cork-plunger belowthe said sleeve, and the eoaeting bottle-holder comprising asuitably-supp orted Vertical guide, a rack-bar 28 arranged in said guideand formed with a bottle-seat on its upper end, the shaft 3l, agear-Wheel on the shaft to mesh with the rack-bar, a suitablysupportedsector-rack, a, lever to turn the said shaft and a pawl to engage thesector-rack, 1o substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afx my signature in presence of tWoWitnesses.

THOMAS B. BOOTH. Witnesses:

WM. S. PEPPERELL, A. W. ROBINSON.

